Well guys, this one took a little bit longer to type up, but I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 3

Ghost

Natalie slept fitfully that night, her mind filled with troubled thoughts. The penny. Why would it be anything serious? People found change on the ground all the time. This wasn't any different. Yet, some small part of her brain felt that it meant something. But there was no way that it could have been him. She must be crazy. Crazy dreams plagued her the entire night.

She was standing in the center of campus with Garrett next to her. Somehow, she knew that they were now dating. The weather was sunny and clear, and they were just talking and laughing about nothing in particular. Suddenly, the sky turned dark and cloudy. Natalie was no longer at her college, but in the woods, in a strangely familiar place. Then, it hit her. She was at the place overlooking the river, where she and Keith had spent many happy days. A voice spoke from behind her, "Hey." She turned, a smile ready on her face. It wasn't Keith, but Garrett stood in front of her, with Crystal standing next to him. Natalie took a step back, confused. Where was Keith. She felt panic building up in her chest. Garrett stood there, a smile on his face. "You don't want him. You want me instead. I'm here. He isn't right now."

"What are you talking about?"she asked. "He's gone."

"I know, isn't that great?" Now, she was shocked.

"How can you say something like that?" Natalie said angrily. "Just because we went on a date, doesn't mean that you own me now."

"You can't have both worlds," he replied. "You have to choose." Then, he too disappeared.

"I told you, you'd like him," Crystal said, a knowing smile on her face. "Now you can forget about that dead boyfriend of yours."

"Crystal!" Natalie shouted. "Don't you dare talk about Keith like that."

"I'm right, aren't I? He's nothing to you anymore. Face it, Natalie, Keith's dead and Garrett is very much alive. There's no contest."

"I can't just forget about Keith just like that," Natalie said, anger coloring her face. "You can't just turn off your feelings!" Crystal only laughed at her, turned around, and walked away into the woods. She was alone. The wind was blowing hard through the trees and rain pelted her face with big, fat droplets.

"Hey partner," that familiar voice filled her with warmth. She closed her eyes and turned around again. This time, Keith stood in front of her, his eyes full of hurt and confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"How can you forget me?" he asked.

"But I haven't forgotten you," she protested. "I could never forget you."

"Could you?"

"No, but it's been so long…."

"Don't forget me."

"How can you expect me to do that? To just…wait for something that won't happen?" she said in confusion.

"I'm still here."

"Don't play games with me, Keith." Natalie warned. 'This isn't real, so of course you're here."

"Just wait," he repeated.

"I can't."

"Don't leave me," he said, in an almost pleading tone.

"I can't leave you if you're not here!" she said angrily. "Why are we even talking? This is just a dream." He stepped nearer to her. His lips almost brushed her cheek as he whispered close to her ear. "I'm still here. I'll always be here." He drew back, his green eyes boring into hers. "Wait." Natalie felt torn.

"Keith," she began, but stopped. But he turned and walked away, without looking back.

Natalie woke up with a start, breathing heavily and her face was soaked with tears. "I'm here," she cried out in the dark, then realized it was only a dream. But it had been so real. Natalie lay back down, willing her heart to quit beating so fast. He wasn't here. He was gone. How long would it take before she believed that? She wiped her face on the comforter and turned over, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Natalie woke again, this time to her alarm clock beeping. "Oh, no," she moaned, seeing that it was past ten. "I'm late!" She dressed in lightning speed, grabbing a banana on her way out the door, all the while texting Crystal. Natalie rushed downstairs and outside to where Crystal sat in her car, tapping her fingers on the metal impatiently. "I'm sorry," she panted. "My alarm."

"Oh really?" Crystal asked, with a wicked grin. "Late night?"

"No," Natalie firmly replied. She climbed into the front seat of the car. Crystal backed out of the parking lot and they drove downtown.

"So?" Crystal asked. Natalie kept silent. "Don't make me have to pry it out of you."

"What are you talking about?" Natalie asked innocently, knowing exactly what Crystal wanted to know.

"How was the date?" her friend burst out.

"It was fine."

"Fine? That's it?" Crystal looked disappointed.

"Okay, okay," she gave in. "It was a nice date. Garrett was a lot nicer than I thought he would be."

"I told you so!" Crystal said, triumph ringing in her voice. You shouldn't doubt me."

"Please don't rub it in," Natalie asked. She could feel a headache beginning to form behind her eyes.

"I just can't help it," Crystal said, somewhat smugly. "Now you can forget about Keith." Her words echoed in Natalie's head, mirroring the ones in her dream. The realization made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Please stop," she stated. Crystal was about to speak, but the look on Natalie's face told her to stay quiet, so she shut up. They pulled into the parking lot of the local library. As they entered the library, a large shiny banner, "Read To Lead" greeted them. Mrs. Parrish, the librarian ushered them into the juvenile section. Natalie took her assigned books and group of second graders to a corner of the children's area. Twelve boys and girls followed her like ducks in a row. "All right everyone, have a seat." They obediently sat down, watching her every move with their eyes wide. She began to read a story, full of princesses and dragons. The children listened with rapt attention. She read story after story, until the hour was up and the kids scattered, heading back to their parents, who were waiting in the other room. Natalie helped Mrs. Parrish clean the room and reshelf the books before meeting up with Crystal in the other room.

"Well, looks like another good deed done," Crystal commented dryly. "The first-graders I had today made me want to scream."

"If you always complain about it, why do you keep coming?" Natalie asked.

"We get volunteer experience, and plus, I kind of like the little monsters," she admitted. "Come on, let's go." They walked the few blocks to a small café that the college students enjoyed frequenting.

"So, what's on your mind?" Crystal asked.

"Nothing," Natalie played with the straw in her iced coffee.

"Don't lie. I know something's bothering you."

"I don't know what to do with Garrett," Natalie told her. "He's nice, but…."

"But what? You had fun with him. Why wouldn't you want to go out with him again?"

"I don't know," she sighed.

"Just give him another chance. He's liked you so long, he'd wait for you forever."

"He likes me, but do I like him?"

"Don't be silly."

"I don't think I like him as a potential boyfriend. We have different goals in life. He wants to be an economist or something like that. Maybe even go into politics."

"You don't want to be the First Lady?" Crystal teased. Natalie cringed.

"No, that's not me."

"He's such a nice guy. Maybe he'll grow on you."

"Maybe," Natalie said hesitantly. The conversation dwindled down as they started eating. As they finished up, Crystal had one more question.

"Are you going to go out with Garrett again?"

"I don't know."

"Keith would want you to be happy," Crystal said, in a more serious way.

"Now you sound like my mother. She's always trying to set me up with someone. But it's just not like that. Keith and I, we had something special. A once in a lifetime chance. "

"So that's it. It's over. Kaput. You're going to keep mooning over the past, while the perfectly good present walks away."

"Crystal!" Natalie said in exasperation. "I didn't say that I wasn't going to give up. I just said I'm not sure."

"How can you not be sure? It's a no-brainer."

"Maybe for you."

"Yeah, you're right. I would jump at the chance," Crystal said. She looked slightly irritated.

"I told him I wouldn't forget him."

"Then don't. But like I've said, he wouldn't want you to be sad."

"I'll think about it," Natalie replied. "Listen, I need to get back to the school. I'm supposed to care for the plants." They got up and paid for their meals. Crystal had just one more thing to say.

"If you don't move on, then everyone's going to move on without you."

"I know."

Crystal dropped Natalie off by the greenhouse. She took out her keys and unlocked the door. A blast of balmy, moist air hit her, and she breathed in the wet, musty scent of potting soil and plants. "Hi, Pudge," she greeted the fat goldfish that swam lazily in a small aquarium. The greenhouse was eerily quiet, and she tried to half-heartedly hum a song to fill the empty stillness. "Oh no," she muttered, realizing that the hose was missing. Natalie headed over to the shed, where she grabbed another hose and lugged it back over to the student project room. She hooked up the hose and began to water the plants, being careful to not over water the cactuses that lined the far wall. One of the new plants had an odd substance on the trunk, so Natalie took it out on the roof to spray it down. A flash of movement on the ground below caught her eye. She frowned and peered over the ledge. There was nothing. "Great," she said to herself. "Now you're jumping at shadows. Get a grip." She took one last look at the sidewalk beneath her, again, there was only concrete. The foreign material on the trunk finally washed off, and Natalie took the plant back inside. She finished watering the other plants and hung up the hose. When she entered the outer storage room, she noticed that the outside door was partway open. Now, she was feeling a little spooked. "Okay, I know that was closed," she spoke into the empty room. Natalie picked up her things and locked the door. She was about to head to her dorm, when a familiar sparkle flashed on the concrete step. Another penny lay unsuspectingly on the concrete. Somehow, this wasn't as much of a surprise. She picked up the penny and stuck it in her purse. Maybe it was just one of her friends playing a practical joke. Then again, no one knew about the pennies.

"Hi," a voice said, scaring her half to death.

"Oh my goodness!" she jumped, seeing Garrett standing nonchalantly in front of her. "You scared me!"

"I can tell," he said. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I'll be fine."

"So, this is where you work," he said, his eyes rapidly examining the building.

"Yep, this is it," she said, trying to take deep breaths. "How did you know I was here?"

"Oh, your friend Crystal told me where I could find you."

"She would," Natalie mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"
"Oh," she stammered and recovered smoothly. "I'm glad she did." Hopefully, that didn't sound like too much of a lie. He sure was a fast mover.

"I just wanted to let you know how much fun I had last night."

"I had fun too," she said, feeling slightly nervous.

"Really?" his face lit up with boyish delight.

"Yeah, I did."

"Sooo," Garrett began, "I just wanted to know if you would like to hang out tonight." Natalie felt a little more relieved. At least he wasn't asking her to be his girlfriend.

"Sure, that'd be fun."

"Great! I'll call you later," he said, reminiscent of his earlier reaction to her answer. "Well, um, I guess I'd better get going. There's a study carrel in the library with my name on it."

"Okay, well, bye." She watched him jog towards the library. As soon as he was out of earshot, she took out her phone and pressed the call button. As soon as her friend answered, she started in on her.

"Crystal! What were you thinking? You told him where I was?"

"What?" she said innocently. "It's not a big deal. He was going to call."

"Why do you have to update him on my whereabouts all the time?"
"It's not updating. It's enabling," Crystal said indignantly.

"Right. Whatever it is, could you please stop? He doesn't need any more encouragement."

"Okay, fine. I was just trying to help you out," Crystal huffed. "I've got to go. I'll talk to you later." She hung up abruptly.

"Wait," Natalie tried to speak, but was cut off. She rolled her eyes. "No, don't do this!" The day was only getting better. She put her phone back in her purse and began the long walk back to her room. Some students were milling around the campus mall, and Natalie was hurrying through the crowd when she caught a glimpse of a young man. A strangely familiar man. He was the guy that had been standing by the restaurant. She blinked, trying to focus on his face, but his face was obscured by a dark gray hooded sweatshirt. Natalie pushed through the people to reach him. He noticed her moving towards him, and he suddenly took off running. "Wait!" she shouted at him, but he continued running. She finally stopped, bending over to catch her breath. He was gone. A sudden thought hit her. No, it couldn't be. Natalie tried to shake the feeling, the foreboding that filled her. There was something about him. She had never believed in ghosts before, of spirits. He really couldn't here, could he? No, she shook her head slightly as if to clear her mind. Still, there was something familiar about him, but she just couldn't quite figure out what it was. No, she told herself, there was no such thing as ghosts. No matter how much she wished that it was so. At least then, there was would be a part of him with her.

Hmm, who is this guy anyways? Sorry, I can't resist a good mystery. Hope you enjoyed reading. Let me know what you think!